When asked if he was OK with Mitchell Trubisky’s 1st pass of the season coming September 5th vs. Green Bay, Chicago coach Matt Nagy’s response was, “Yes.” That tells bettors all they need to know about how the Bears attack the preseason. Chicago travels to take on the Giants in the NFL preseason week 2 betting free pick. New York has much lower expectations for the upcoming season the Bears, but the Giants looked much better in their exhibition debut. Does that make Pat Shurmur’s team the play in this one?
Do Bears Look Better in Game 2?
Chicago didn’t get much going in front of the home crowd in their preseason debut last Thursday. The Bears managed just 170 yards through the air and 82 on the ground in a 13-23 loss to the Panthers. Trubisky played a series, but only practiced three handoffs. Chicago does have the same set of backup QBs as a year ago and Chase Daniel will see a lot of action in the NFL preseason week 2 betting free pick after going 11/13 for 120 yards vs. Carolina. 3rd stringer Tyler Bray led the NFL in preseason passing yards in 2018 and threw the ball 17 times last week against Carolina.
The Giants defense was pretty stout vs. the Jets last week, limiting their stadium mates to just 69 yards on 24 carries (2.8 YPC). Chicago got some nice production from their backs in their 1st exhibition game which includes 6 carries for 35 yards from Kerrith Whyte, Jr. and a 7-yd TD run from rookie David Montgomery. Bears QB’s were sacked 5 times vs. Carolina though. Chicago will try to shore up their O-line in game two and rely once again on their defense. The O/U looks on the high side at 42.5.
Dare Say, the Giants Looked Good Last Week
Most people would agree the expectations aren’t very high for the Giants in 2019 – from outside the camp at least. New York didn’t play like a team rebuilding in their opening exhibition game a week ago however. The Giants upended the Jets 31-22, racking up 374 passing yards in the process. Maligned rookie Daniel Jones was impressive in his limited time, going 5-5 for 67 yards and leading a TD drive. It was Alex Tanney and Kyle Lauletta on the bottom of the depth chart that really did damage though, going a combined 23/31 for 306 yards and 2 TD. Will Grier was 9/16 for 77 yards and 1TD/1INT vs. the Chicago 3rd string defense last week (in his first NFL action) so the NY backups could have another big night through the air.
The Giants notched a week one exhibition win but they also showed why people may still be a bit hesitant to jump on board vs. the Bears. For one, New York had 11 penalties for 115 yards. The Giants also managed just 40 yards rushing on 18 carries with Wayne Gallman having a team high 13 yards on 5 carries. The top three Jets passers (Sam Darnold, Luke Falk, and Trevor Siemian) were also a combined 26/32 with 3TD and 0 INT vs. the Giants defense.
NFL Preseason Week 2 Betting Free Pick
The Giants proved that they can put up some numbers throughout the depth chart last week vs. the Jets. The Bears did not – but they should be much better in week two for the simple fact they aren’t up against the Panthers defense. Chicago is going to have a hard time stopping the New York passing attack, but the Bears duo of Daniel and Bray were two of the most productive passers in the ’18 preseason. The Giants defense couldn’t stop the Jets passing offense last week and that trend should continue Thursday.
NFL Preseason Free Pick: Bears / Giants *Over* 42.5
